OXFORD’S beloved towering skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex has been treated to an impromptu performance by a visiting South African choir.
Those admiring the replica of the long-extinct beast's bones at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History enjoyed the sweet tones of the Bloemfontein Children’s Choir yesterday morning.
The youngsters were in Oxford to perform with their peers in the Oxford Youth Choirs and made time to visit the museum as part of their trip.
Read more: Empty shops in Cowley to be transformed into recording studioAccompanied by a drummer, the singers performed a traditional song from their home country to onlookers.
The night before they also gave a performance at Oxford Town Hall as part of an African Skies concert compèred by BBC presenter Roderick Williams, which brought together different cultures and genres.
The amateur choir, made up of boys and girls aged eight to 16, come from Bloemfontein in central South Africa and surrounding areas.
Oxford Youth Choirs – a group of six choirs for children aged between four and 18 – have themselves performed abroad and visited Malta last year.
Read also: Popular milkshake shop opens new branchRichard Vendome, musical director of Oxford Youth Choirs said: “We value this opportunity to share in music making and cultural exchange, and hope we can build on this in the future.”
A crowdfunding campaign has been started to cover accommodation costs for the 50-strong Bloemfontein tour group.
Members of the public were invited to help a young singer from the rainbow nation by sponsoring a South African child to sing, and have raised £1,920 of a £2,000 target.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here